‘One Shot: Overtime Elite’ Prime Video Series Review - Not Very Enlightening

After Reggie, Redefined: J. R. Smith, Good Rivals, and The Ride, Prime Video is back with another sports documentary, One Shot: Overtime Elite. This time, the focus is on a group of basketball players, especially the Thompson twins - Amen and Ausar Thompson. These twins, who initially were a part of the City Reapers team at the OTE, make history at the 2023 NBA Draft as they become the first siblings to be selected as top 10 picks in the same Draft. OTE, which stands for Overtime Elite, is a professional basketball league for 16 to 20-year-olds, and it's based in Atlanta, Georgia. All this information can be dug out through a simple Google search. So why watch this new docuseries?

To be honest, if you are not a sports fan, you can skip One Shot: Overtime Elite. I am not a sports person, but I wanted to see if I could learn something new, something unique about basketball or the players through this docuseries. Unfortunately, One Shot didn't turn out to be very enlightening. What does it say? The players work hard, practice with vigor, and are passionate about the game. Well, that holds true for all the sportsmen. Every athlete spends his time and energy on exercise and practice. Even the most famous and successful sports personalities work out daily to keep their bodies fit and ready. The docuseries says that basketball players sometimes win and sometimes lose a match, but most of them don't give up on their dream of becoming a professional sportsmen. They all have potential, and some of them are destined for greatness.

All that's fine, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that we didn't really need a six-part series for these deets. You can often catch a whiff of a PR machine as the show seems to be announcing, "Look, these boys have a lot of talent, and they deserve an opportunity." The basketball matches are fiercely edited, though they also serve as highlight reels for skilled players like Eli Ellis. Ellis is a 16-year-old social media star who - compared to other team members - has a small height. This is why he tries extra hard to prove himself, and he does manage to display his capabilities on the court effortlessly.

Apart from a lesson on dealing with interviews and media personalities, the only other aspect that looked interesting in One Shot: Overtime Elite was the introduction of drama through a player named Jahki Howard. When he is a part of the City Reapers, he shows his frustration towards the Thompson Twins. He complains that the brothers only pass the ball to each other even when he - or the other players - are open. Howard angrily marches out of the basketball court when he is not allowed to play the game and is told to sit on the bench. He has behavior issues. Howard is shifted to another team at one point, but his actions remain unchanged. Consequently, he is suspended from the OTE.

Anyone following the OTE, its matches, or its players could find this documentary fascinating. I just think whatever the docuseries offers is not so astonishing.

Final Score- [5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times
Note: All six episodes are screened for this review.
Premiere Date: September 5, 2023, on Prime Video with all the six episodes